I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 82

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Rahela continued speaking.
“I’ve come to believe that the knowledge and skills you possess as Princess will become a catalyst for humanity’s great leap forward someday. So here’s what I’m thinking—our Alpea Kingdom would like to actively promote and implement the ‘Teisabel Transfer Gate’ you proposed. What do you think? Given the current atmosphere, I don’t think the people will resist much.”
“Really?”
Isabel blinked her eyes.
“Yes. The mood right now is such that they’d applaud even if you made a mistake, so I judged this to be the perfect timing.”
“That’s quite a risky political decision, though.”
The Villorian Empire had always been passive in diplomacy and politics.
Before the wise Empress Serna emerged, Villorian was merely an empire built on reverence for swordsmanship and military might alone.
Therefore, the Magical Federation held the upper hand in political standing. Yet now Rahela was saying she would stand with Villorian instead of the Magical Federation.
There was a high likelihood she would have to bear invisible disadvantages.
“Everyone must make choices at some point in their life.”
Rahela had not forgotten the Royal Summit Conference.
Specifically, the midnight of the first day, which had ended oddly quickly.
‘The coming midnight is a day His Majesty eagerly awaits.’
‘And a day he most wants to be exhausted by.’
‘His Majesty is embarrassed. The coming midnight at zero o’clock is the Princess’s birthday.’
All of it was surely some kind of test from the Empress.
The first day of the Royal Summit Conference.
It demonstrated how important the Princess’s birthday was to the Emperor.
That day, the seven kings had tried to discern the true intentions of the imperial family, but gained little concrete insight.
‘It must have been a silent command for the seven kings to recognize the Princess’s value as well. That was a silent hint to support the Princess. I’m certain of it.’
That must have been the imperial family’s true intention.
Or so she had judged.
Of course, there was no such true intention from the Empress, and the Emperor had simply wanted to be exhausted and felt embarrassed—but that was beside the point.
The small ball Isabel had launched began to grow larger and larger.
* * *
Rahela rose from her seat.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
Duke Robena of the North had come to claim Isabel’s five years.
Only Robena and Isabel remained in the room.
“You must keep your promise, Princess.”
“Very well.”
Robena glanced at Isabel.
Isabel’s legs were trembling slightly. It was obvious she was trying her best not to show it.
‘Judging by how she tried to face the One-Eyed Giant alone, she has a remarkably firm and solid spirit, yet in another sense, she’s clearly just a young child.’
Even now, her gaze was steady, but her body trembled uncontrollably.
‘How should I put it—her body and mind seem somewhat out of sync?’
Her eyes narrowed.
‘If I had to describe it, it feels like an adult’s soul is trapped in a child’s body, creating a subtle lack of synchronization.’
Isabel stood directly in front of Robena.
Isabel’s body continued to tremble uncontrollably.
“Let’s go.”
“Very well.”
Isabel walked forward with as much courage as she could muster.
Robena asked her.
“Aren’t you afraid of losing five years of your life?”
“I’m afraid. Terribly, terribly afraid.”
“Then why make such a choice?”
“Because Bumblebee is my precious friend.”
A smile graced Robena’s lips as she walked ahead.
‘You’ve found a truly wonderful friend, Aaron.’
Robena and Isabel found the temple closest to the Alpea Royal Palace.
Normally, the area around the temple would be crowded with people, but strangely, there was no one today.
There was only a single gatekeeper standing before the great gates.
“Hm?”
Isabel felt something odd emanating from the gatekeeper.
The moment she saw the gatekeeper, her trembling mysteriously ceased.
“What’s wrong?”
“May I greet the gatekeeper?”
“Do as you wish.”
Robena shrugged indifferently.
Pitter-patter-patter.
‘How adorable, running like that.’
To Robena’s eyes, Isabel was still quite small.
With her very short legs, she ran with determination. There was something oddly warm and joyful in her every step.
“Hello.”
“….”
The gatekeeper’s body flinched.
An official notice had already been delivered that Duke Robena and Princess Isabel would be visiting, and the gatekeeper knew Isabel’s identity.
Yet the gatekeeper did not respond.
Robena approached.
“Gatekeeper. Why do you not show proper courtesy?”
“….”
Robena stifled her laughter within. Her eyes curved like crescents.
In truth, she was thoroughly amused.
[Robena. Keep your mouth shut.]
[But isn’t this strange?]
[What do you mean?]
[I changed both my physique and face, yet somehow Isabel seems to recognize her own father. Wait… why do you seem oddly proud about this?]
[Not at all.]
[Ah, you’re not proud of it at all.]
Isabel spoke again.
“Hello, Gatekeeper. If you don’t mind, could you hold my hand just once?”
“….”
After a brief silence, Ron, disguised as the Gatekeeper, asked.
“Why would you ask that?”
“Please, hold my hand.”
Isabel looked up at the Gatekeeper with bright, sparkling eyes and extended her small hand like a fern frond.
Though her body was around ten years old, Ron’s eyes perceived Isabel’s hand as incredibly tiny.
Through a father’s eyes, Isabel had been a baby at three, a baby at five, and remained a baby even now at seven.
“….”
When Ron extended his hand, Isabel hopped up and snatched it with a snap! Then she grasped it tightly with both hands.
“Biological Father.”
“….”
“When I hold your hand, I can tell.”
Ron’s body flinched.
“I’m not sure what you mean, Princess.”
“When I hold Biological Father’s hand, I feel so reassured. It’s the most dependable hand in the whole world.”
In her past life, Isabel had longed for her mother and father’s hands.
She had envied those children who held their parents’ hands on the way to the hospital.
She had thought that if she could hold those hands while going to the hospital, nothing would frighten her.
She had harbored such fantasies and yearnings, and now they were real.
‘I’m not scared anymore!’
The fact that five years would disappear was deeply sorrowful, but it didn’t frighten her as much as before.
Isabel spoke with a radiant smile.
“I’m not scared anymore.”
It was a life that should have ended anyway.
This life had simply been given sixteen additional years as a gift.
A gift she had dreamed of her entire life.
Robena spoke with surprise.
“You really aren’t frightened.”
“No.”
“How can you think that way?”
“Because I’m holding Biological Father’s hand.”
“What does that matter?”
“It’s so reassuring, so incredibly comforting.”
“….”
“It was my wish.”
“Just that?”
Just holding her father’s hand once—what was so significant about that?
Captured in Duke Robena’s gaze, Isabel shone brilliantly.
That radiance appears when a human experiences genuine, abundant happiness.
‘But…’
Isabel wasn’t the only one radiating that luminous glow.
Of course, Ron controlled it with superhuman mental fortitude that far transcended ordinary human limits, yet even so, it was still visible in his expression.
‘That man is happy too, isn’t he?’
Faint threads of light were streaming from Ron’s body.
Duke Robena finally burst into laughter.
“Your Majesty, just take off the necklace. There’s no point hiding it when everyone can see through it anyway.”
“…”
Both Isabel and Duke Robena knew that this gatekeeper was Ron.
Yet Ron had not revealed his true form.
Duke Robena chuckled and spoke.
“Everyone knows, yet everyone pretends not to know. Is that what this is?”
“…I’m not certain what you mean, Duke Robena.”
“Fine, let’s leave it at that. Though I’m curious why the Princess is gripping her hand like she’s holding onto a precious treasure.”
Isabel suddenly felt a hollow emptiness.
The figure of her Biological Father, who had been right before her eyes and holding her hand, had vanished.
As the warmth of his hand covering hers disappeared, she grew a little dejected.
“Sniff.”
“Don’t be disappointed. He’s probably watching you from somewhere nearby anyway.”
“Biological Father is?”
“If I truly tried to steal five years from you, he’d cut off my head.”
“…What?”
“That’s why he’s bothering to do this here. Actually, if that were the case, he could just stay by your side. I’m not sure why he’s going through the trouble of wearing a magical necklace around his neck.”
Duke Robena walked ahead, and Isabel followed behind her.
There were no signs of people inside the temple either. Only massive marble pillars stood in a long row.
“Princess, shall I tell you something interesting?”
“What is it?”
“Your father—did you know he has a very long history with me?”
“I do. The chronicles of the Northern Duke, master of Sky Island, and Emperor Ron of Villorian are quite famous.”
“You know we’ve traversed countless battlefields together?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Your father absolutely despises even wearing a single ring. He says it slightly changes the feel of his grip on his sword or something.”
“…”
“Yet today, he used a magical artifact that completely transforms his body? Even when I begged him to use artifacts, he was absolutely stubborn. Because of that obstinacy, I suffered tremendously.”
It was something the Ron that Duke Robena knew would never do.
“He did something he would never do—for his daughter.”
You changed a person who seemed like they would never change.
Duke Robena smiled gently and spoke.
“You seem to be a genuinely good person.”
I arrived at the center of the temple.
There stood an Elder Priest of considerable age.
“Shall we fulfill the promise?”
The Elder Priest opened his mouth.
“Greetings. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cadelinon, the Great Sage of the Sharp North Wind and Cold Blood.”
Strangely, his self-description was far too elaborate.
Much like how Kadelina called herself the Black Flame Dragon or something.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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